In first public appearance since October 14, ailing Goa CM Manohar Parrikar inspects two bridges

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been keeping unwell for some time now, made a surprising public appearance on Sunday when inspected an under-construction bridge on Mandovi River in Panaji. It was the first time he was seen in public since returning to the state on October 14 post hospitalisation in Delhi's AIIMS.

Parrikar, who is seen wearing a nasal cannula (a device used to deliver supplemental oxygen) in pictures, also inspected the work of a bridge over Zuari River near Agassaim village, some 15 kilometres from Panaji.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar inspects the construction of Zuari Bridge & third Mandovi bridge. pic.twitter.com/2dcyp2ZLxN

— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2018

The Goa chief minister, who is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, has been recuperating at his private residence since October 14 and this is the first time he has moved out of the house, officials said.

A senior Chief Minister's Office functionary told news agency PTI that said Parrikar travelled from Porvorim to Merces inspecting the

bridge, the third over the Mandovi. The bridge, which is expected to be completed next year, will connect Panaji to the rest of north Goa.

Parrikar alighted from the car at the site and discussed the progress of the work with officials of the Goa Infrastructure Development Corporation and contracting firm Larsen and Toubro, the CMO functionary said.

On Wednesday, the Goa government told Bombay High Court that mere diagnosis of cancer does not mean that Parrikar was not fit enough to manage the state administration, and cited Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' accomplishments to make its point.

State Advocate General Dattaprasad Lawande told a division bench that the petition seeking bulletin of Parrikar's health was not in good faith and impinged upon his right to his privacy.

The opposition Congress has been alleging that Parrikar's ailment and his absence from office had brought the coastal state's administration to a standstill.

Parrikar has been MLA of Panaji since 1994. In 2014, he vacated the seat after he was appointed as Defence Minister under the Narendra Modi government. He won the seat again after he returned to state politics in 2017.

(With PTI inputs)